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The federal government offered a research contract to the University of Michigan to learn about how the use of connected vehicles could positively impact highway safety. The university will be testing the technology in the Ann Arbor area to learn whether the use of connected vehicles can effectively cut back the over 30,000 deaths per year caused by motor vehicle accidents.

Connected vehicles use a wireless technology that alerts drivers about potential dangers that otherwise may not be apparent. The system is similar to the sensory systems available in luxury vehicles that detect objects within collision range of a vehicle before collision occurs. The alert system is especially useful for driving in weather that affects visibility, as drivers will be alerted about the location of surrounding vehicles.

The wireless devices will be installed in approximately 3,000 vehicles as part of the study. The effectiveness of this new technology on the streets of Ann Arbor will be closely studied for a year, after which the University of Michigan will determine whether the technology has the potential to significantly reduce the number of car crashes in the country.

Researchers predict that the wireless device could reduce crashes by nearly 90%, saving tens of thousands of lives every year. Not only is the system expected to save lives, but injuries and costly car repairs are expected to be greatly reduced.

The University of Michigan will be allowed a budget of $14.9 million to complete the year-long study. Connected vehicles have been studied and developed extensively in research labs, but the federal government intends for this study to be the first real world application of the technology. The aim is to use real street and highway driving to test the effectiveness of the technology in a real environment.

The issue of blind spots in driving will be virtually eliminated with the use of wireless detection technology, and drivers will even be alerted to any obstructions or braking vehicles several car lengths ahead of them that may affect their drive.

It is possible that, should the research prove the technology successful, the system may be required in all vehicles in the country within the next three years.

A recent announcement will see the coupling of Toyota and Microsoft in a new venture to bring telematics to future automobiles via Cloud technology. The $12 million dollar venture will allow various technologies to be combined and managed in new hybrids and electric Toyotas. The idea is to provide a centralized network where the driver can manage their battery, stream music, upgrade and install applications, or access other information networks through onboard electronics.

Microsoft and Toyota are pairing up to create a worldwide network based on the Azure cloud-computing platform. The goal is to have the system available in next year’s electric and plug-in hybrids as an initial push. Expansion from that point will include a new Prius and RAV4 EV that are meant to communicate with the grid. The communication will allow future Toyotas to monitor their power and draw from the grid when needed.

Many people think of entertainment and distractions when talking wireless communication from an automobile. That is not the case for the new system being developed by Toyota for use with Microsoft’s information infrastructure. It is about connecting vehicles to servers to provide a wider range of more efficient services. Similar systems have already been seen in General Motor’s OnStar and Ford’s Sync.

Some electric cars, such as the Chevrolet Volt, have smart phone apps that were developed to manage their battery levels. This system will see an expanded basis for the sharing and management of that information. Toyota’s vision is for a platform where personal electronic devices can interconnect with a charging station, home systems and electronics, and even the vehicle itself to help manage our energy use.

The rapid advancement of smart phone and smart-grid technology will permit a greater meshing of this information to provide a wider range of services. Troubleshooting and tracking of fleet vehicles will be made easier by having them networked to the centralized grid. The user will be able to do things such as schedule when they want their hybrid or electric car to charge to take advantage of when rates are currently low.

The interactive nature of electric and hybrid vehicles with a smart grid will also permit easier upgrading of firmware and installation of vehicle applications.

Aston Martin is leading the way in working to integrate mobile technology with automobiles. It is no great stretch of imagination that most drivers put as much importance on packing up their personal electronics as their car keys when they head to their vehicle. It was only a matter of time before automakers started looking at mobile devices to provide integration with a vehicle. An initial offering from Aston Martin in this area was a pairing with watch-maker Jaeger-LeCoultre to mount a transponder into their watches that would lock and unlock a vehicle.

A collaboration with the Canadian luxury cell phone company Mobiado resulted in the unveil of the CPT002 at the BaselWorld watch and jewelry exposition in Switzerland. The CPT002 is a concept cell phone that can lock and unlock a vehicle the same way that a proximity fob does. In addition, it can sync with social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter to help the owner locate their friends they are meeting. It is able to automatically provide updates on road progress or if the user performs track driving. Safety features are also included to allow the vehicle’s computer to access the phone’s accelerometer to help prepare for a crash.

The cell phone is crafted of platinum and a transparent sapphire crystal capacitive touch screen which houses all the required electronics.

At the moment, this system is just a concept with only a prototype. Consumers can expect to see the march forward in technology result in pieces like this in the future. Computers have been shrinking and getting more powerful since the first mainframes were used back in the 1940’s. The average MP3 player or cell phone carries more processing power than some of those machines did.

It is fascinating to wonder just what kind of technological advancements we will see in the automotive industry in the years to come. Entry systems based on personal electronic technology would give more options to get into one’s vehicle. Even now, technology is making circumstances like locking your keys in your car a more difficult thing to do. Many companies that provide automotive services are able to provide remote unlock through their own systems.

The vision of a future with a highly integrated personal electronics device with one’s home and vehicle seems more likely with each passing day.

In today’s world, being “green” is more important than ever before because waste means that we are not conserving enough natural resources. Solar energy is a renewable resource that is relatively easy to harness as well as something that can be used without worry of pollution or other negative effects on the planet. It is becoming quite common to use solar panels to collect energy for homes and businesses but solar powered roads may soon be a reality as well.

An electrical engineer named Scott Brusaw has created a way to make solar powered roads and will begin testing the roads at his company Solar Roadways in Idaho. Brusaw, the CEO of Solar Roadways, believes that having solar powered roads will eventually replace asphalt roads in many areas within the United States. The U.S. Department of Transportation funded Brusaw’s idea because of the many positive effects that solar roads would have on the nation.

The solar powered roads that Brusaw has designed have the strength of steel and can easily withstand the weight of automobiles, although the cost of long term maintenance remains to be seen. One of the main uses of solar powered roads will be to keep frozen precipitation such as ice and snow off the roads. The solar paneled roads will collect the sun’s power and use it to melt away any precipitation as well as dry the roads for safer driving. While safety is the main concern for Brusaw, the solar roadways will also save money in the form of road maintenance during adverse weather as well as eliminate shoddy road conditions such as low shoulders and potholes.

Reducing the need for asphalt used in making roads is also an important impact that solar powered highways will have on the environment. Many people may not know it but petroleum is used in the producing of asphalt and since there are millions of asphalt roads across the nation and petroleum is a nonrenewable resource, it is readily apparent that reducing our need for asphalt is important.

While solar powered roads have the potential to positively impact our world with safer driving conditions and less use of fossil fuels, the overall cost is something to carefully consider. The cost of replacing asphalt roads for solar ones may be as much as $4.4 million per mile. While this number is staggering, experts believe that these energy efficient roads will pay for themselves over time. While it is hard to stomach the cost, the positive impact of solar roads should not be understated.